Preview: St Mirren vs Hearts - prediction, team news, lineups

Two teams at opposite ends of the Scottish Premiership table clash on Tuesday as St Mirren host Hearts.

The hosts are 10th in the table with 20 points from 23 games, while the visitors are top of the standings with 54 points from 24 league fixtures.

Match preview

Off the back of three consecutive top-half finishes in the Scottish Premiership, St Mirren would have been aiming to once again secure their place in the top six heading into the 2025-26 season.

However, a difficult start to the campaign has set the tempo for a challenging season, with St Mirren currently battling against relegation from the top flight.

The Saints failed to win any of their opening four league matches before sealing back-to-back wins, but Stephen Robinson's side were ultimately unable to build from that platform, subsequently embarking on an eight-game winless run.

St Mirren ended their winless streak with back-to-back victories in December, which were sandwiched around a sensational 3-1 victory against Celtic to lift the Scottish League Cup trophy.

The Saints, however, have once again failed to build from those results, remaining without a triumph in their last seven league fixtures heading into Tuesday's encounter.

As a result, St Mirren are 10th in the Scottish Premiership standings with just 20 points from 23 games played, having recorded only four wins and eight draws, alongside 11 defeats, leaving them just three points above the drop zone.

Desperate to end their miserable run and put together a much-needed run of results to steer clear of the relegation zone, the Saints will be hoping they can pull off a surprise triumph when they take on the Scottish Premiership leaders on Tuesday.

Hearts will undoubtedly be the favourites heading into Tuesday's fixture, with the Jambos enjoying a remarkable debut campaign under Derek McInnes.

McInnes, who was appointed during the summer, remained undefeated in his first 12 Scottish Premiership games as Hearts manager, a stunning run that featured nine wins and three draws.

Although they endured a slight blip in November and early December, drawing three and losing one in a four-game stretch, Hearts eventually bounced back with three straight victories, including particularly important wins over Celtic and Rangers.

Hearts suffered their second league defeat of the season to rivals Hibernian on matchday 19, losing 3-2 at Easter Road, but they have rebounded superbly, winning four and drawing one of their last five league fixtures.

Consequently, Hearts boast an impressive 54 points from 24 league fixtures, with 16 wins, six draws and only two defeats, leaving the Jambos with a healthy seven point lead over Rangers - albeit the Gers have a game in hand.

The Jambos will be eager to maintain their momentum heading towards the final months of the season, leaving Hearts aiming to replicate their 2-0 triumph over the Saints in mid January.

Despite their fantastic season to date, the Jambos have faced their difficulties when facing St Mirren away from home, winning just one of their last seven away clashes with the Saints in the Scottish Premiership.

St Mirren Scottish Premiership form:

D D L L L L

St Mirren form (all competitions):

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Hearts Scottish Premiership form:

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Hearts form (all competitions):

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Team News

St Mirren are dealing with injuries to Jonah Ayunga (tendon), Keanu Baccus (hamstring) and Mark O'Hara (ankle) for this game, while Jake Young is also unavailable due to suspension.

Following back-to-back draws heading into this encounter, Robinson could decide to name a largely unchanged team in search of another result against the Jambos, with the exception of Mikael Mandron replacing the suspended Young.

Meanwhile, Hearts are without Calem Nieuwenhof, Cameron Devlin, Finlay Pollock, Stephen Kingsley and captain Lawrence Shankland due to injury issues.

Pierre Landry Kabore has led the line in Shankland's absence, and after scoring twice in Hearts' 3-0 win last time out, the striker should continue alongside Claudio Braga in attack.

The remainder of the side that started that 3-0 triumph over Dundee United at the weekend is also expected to remain unchanged.

St Mirren possible starting lineup:

George; Sobowale, Fraser, King, Freckleton, Tanser; Gogic, Phillips; Idowu, Etete, Mandron

Hearts possible starting lineup:

Schwolow; Altena, Halkett, Findlay, Milne; McEntee, Leonard, Magnusson, Kyziridis; Braga, Kabore

We say: St Mirren 0-2 Hearts

Hearts are certainly the favourites heading into this fixture, especially with the contrast in form between the two teams, leading us to expect a comfortable away win for the Jambos against the struggling St Mirren.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.